Sonic the Hedgehog, one of gaming’s most recognizable mascots, used to be synonymous with Sega’s console hardware. Now he can be found on multiple platforms, including iOS. Sonic made his iOS debut with straight ports of his early-90s Sega Genesis games, but since then, he’s starred in more than a few original games designed specifically for mobile.

Sonic the Hedgehog 1 and 2

When Sonic first appeared on iOS, we were delighted to see a Genesis classic ported to mobile. Unfortunately, the launch version wasn’t what we were hoping for. Sega’s iOS emulator was slow and clunky, which made Sonic plodding instead of quick. Fortunately, a major app update earlier this year corrected all of our concerns, and added new extras for long-time fans. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 hasn’t received a similar upgrade, but its superior level design and the appearance of Sonic’s little buddy Tails mean it’s a more enjoyable game. If you’re looking for old-school nostalgia, these original Sonic games are a great place to start.

Key Quote: “As in the original Sonic 2, the levels are sprawling and excellently crafted. Each one has long speedways, carefully placed enemies, and multiple looping paths that lead you to the goal. And it’s a good thing you can take different paths, because you’ll be replaying levels often.”

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 and 2

Although Sonic the Hedgehog 3 isn’t available on iOS, once you beat the first two games you can jump straight to the fourth, which is split into two episodes. Sonic 4 features outstanding new graphics, which keep with the series’ familiar visual style but add new 3D elements to the backgrounds and characters. You can also use your iPhone’s tilt to control a minecart level, in addition to a few trippy new bonus levels. In both episodes we had some issues with the controls and physics, but overall, they’re still a lot of fun to play.

Key Quote: “Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode II isn’t a bad game by any means, but it’s hampered by spotty controls and sluggish physics. For most fans, these issues won’t be deal breakers.”

Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing

Although Sonic usually travels by foot, in this kart racing game he and all his fellow licensed characters pilot vehicles on their way to the finish line. Inspired by Mario Kart, Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing has themed levels from a panoply of Sega games, including Crazy Taxi and Super Monkey Ball. Steering using your iOS device’s tilt controls is extremely fun, and the unlockable characters and tracks will keep you playing for a long time. Sonic & Sega All-Stars is easily one of the best kart racers available for iOS.

Key Quote: “Every character, kart, track, and sound effect feels like it fits right in. Racing with Dr. Eggman through a Mexican fiesta straight out of Samba de Amigo, or sending Jet Set Radio’s Beat swooping in a Green Hill Zone loop-de-loop never gets old.”

Sonic CD

The jump from Sega Genesis to Sega CD was a costly one in the mid-90s, but with today’s mobile technology, you don’t even need a different device to play this highly-evolved Sonic game. Sonic CD is a briskly-paced action game where you can time-travel between different eras and alter the future by destroying robot generators. Sonic CD also has impressively precise movement controls, and a series of huge boss battles that can be a bit intimidating. All this, plus a wild animated intro, make Sonic CD a clear Must Have.

Key Quote: “The game runs with amazing smoothness, and the controls are as responsive as you could hope. As you zip through the game’s many worlds, you almost forget your fingers are touching nothing but glass.”

Sonic Jump

Sonic Jump is interesting because it takes Sonic’s signature move– running horizontally at high speeds– and literally turns it on its side. In Sonic Jump, Sonic has to jump vertically past platforms containing spikes and robotic creatures, collecting coins and power-ups on his way to the top. With its simple gameplay, Sonic Jump is well-suited to the mobile platform, and it features attractive visuals and challenging level design. We actually like it more than the original Doodle Jump.

Key Quote: “Overall Sonic Jump offers a ton of fun, and a million reasons to keep coming back. We haven’t seen a game bring this much creativity to a seemingly dead genre in a long time. Whether you grew up with Sonic or not, Sonic Jump is a total blast.”

Sonic Dash

Sega’s latest Sonic game is their take on the auto-running genre. Similar to Temple Run, in Sonic Dash you control Sonic from an over-the-shoulder view, steering him through rows of rings while trying to avoid pits and other obstacles. The cinematic camera isn’t perfect, though, so you might have some unexpected crashes, and the game is stingy with the premium currency that’s required to unlock more characters. Still, we’re glad to see Sonic back to running around like he should, instead of jumping or driving a car.

Key Quote: “Sonic Dash isn’t a bad game as an endless runner, but Sonic fans might notice that the game has a certain lack of depth and variety when compared with his more traditional fare, or even other iOS games such as his own Sonic Jump or fellow mascot runner Rayman Jungle Run.”

Next week, our 50 Best Game Series on iOS continues with Telltale’s puzzle-themed adventure games, Puzzle Agent 1 and 2.

This article is part of a series about the best games on iOS, 2008-2013. You can read the rest here.

As usual, December was a great month for iOS gamers, with big games dropping every week (at least until the yearly week-long App Store shutdown over Christmas). But one game in particular blew us away with its moody atmosphere and excellent design, so we had to give it this month’s highest honor. The game is The Room Two. (more…)

Things are heating up as the year comes to a close. November was a fantastic month for iOS gamers, with a huge number of Must Have titles hitting the App Store. So whether you wanted to build a Death Star or run and jump as Mickey Mouse, the App Store had you covered. But there can be only one Game of the Month, and November’s is Oceanhorn by Cornfox & Bros. (more…)

Last week, the first generation of iOS 7 controllers were officially revealed to the world and immediately became available for purchase. First we went hands-on with the Logitech PowerShell, and now we’ve had a chance to extensively test the MOGA Ace Power controller. While the Ace Power has more buttons and joysticks than Logitech’s controller, the flimsy plastic feel, limited battery, and spotty support on the App Store make us question whether it’s really the future of iOS gaming. (more…)

October was another fine month for iOS gamers, with a number of notable titles coming out across a variety of genres. So whether you wanted to kill gorgeously rendered zombies or drive a race car, the App Store had you covered. But there can be only one Game of the Month, and this month it’s Device 6. (more…)

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Latest Recommended Games

The fine folks at Milkbag games have released Sidewords. A fun little diversion of a word game that is the devil child of crosswords and scrabble. For each level in the game the grid must be completed to win the level — this means that each letter at the top and side must be used. And not just the top or side, but each word must be made up of letters from the top and side to create a grid. It’s a pain, but in the right kind of way. Even the simplest of the levels can be a head scratcher until you get used to the game. Well worth the $3 as a diversion while we wait for Milkbag to finally release Snow Siege.

We’d like to thank our sponsor for this week, Zap Zap Kindergarten Math.

It’s not always easy to tear your kids away from their tablets and make them do something edifying. Thankfully, Zap Zap Kindergarten Math relieves you of this task by turning mathematics into a fun touchscreen video game. Win win!

Aimed at children 3-6 years old, the app makes math fun by ‘gamifying’ it, turning simple mathematics problems into little challenges so that your pre-schooler can learn and play at the same time.

There are more than two dozen mini-games, split across three categories: Numbers, Shapes and Measurements, and Add and Subtract. According to the developer the difficulty of these puzzles is adaptive too, so kids of any ability can be both encouraged and challenged.

Mini Dayz has launched and it’s a pixelated 2.5D open world that’s as brutal as the desktop version. In this game, the player is dumped on shore with nothing. They must scavenge around for food, water, and weapons while avoiding attack. It’s the kind of game where the goal is to stay alive as long as possible. But that will never be very long. It’s oddly free and seems to only have an ad on the main screen — for now.

Pewter Games has brought their charming point and click adventure The Little Acre to iOS. It’s an amazingly beautiful animated adventure set in a sort of hybrid magical / alien world. A great all ages adventure and very fun.

We’d like to thank our sponsor for this week, The House of Da Vinci by Blue Brain Games. There’s a reason Leonardo Da Vinci is the only renaissance figure who routinely shows up in video games you know. With his remarkable inventiveness and genius for creative problem-solving, Da Vinci was a gamer through and through. He was just born 500 hundred years too soon. Thankfully, there are studios like Blue Brain Games to bring him to life in videogame form. The House of Da Vinci, which comes to us courtesy of a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign, is a puzzler that seeks to channel the artistry and innovation of its title character.

You play as one of Da Vinci’s more promising apprentices, and you have the challenging task of trying to work out where the hell he’s gone. Was he assassinated by the church? Who knows. Has he quietly gone into a retirement? Perhaps. Did he accidentally invent a shrink ray and shrink himself down to the size of an dustmite? Probably not. Da Vinci’s workshop looks beautiful, thanks to some impressive 3D graphics, and the in-game environment is crammed with all the elaborate machines and crazy inventions you’d expect to find in the workplace of a renaissance genius.(more…)

Poly Bridge is out now on iOS, and it’s good to have it! It’s a great game and many seem to agree that it’s the best bridge builder game available. But the iOS versions, so far, is missing the sandbox mode. I would hope that it’s coming soon in an update. If you are all interested in physics puzzlers, grab this one. (Note: the video is for the PC version, I have yet to see a trailer for the mobile version, the developer Dry Cactus isn’t that great at marketing…)

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